Effect of temperature manipulation during storage and ripening on firmness, extractable juice and woolliness in nectarines

Abstract

‘Independence’ nectarines were stored at — 0.5°C for three or four weeks or at 3°C for four weeks or kept at room temperature for 18 h prior to storage for four weeks at -0.5°C. After cold storage, fruit from all treatments was ripened at 10°, 15°or20°C. In all treatments the percentage woolly fruit initially increased to high values and thereafter decreased with further ripening. The rate of increase and decrease in woolliness depended on the ripening temperature. A storage period of four weeks at — 0.5°C resulted more woolliness during subsequent ripening. Woolliness persisted longer after a four-week cold storage period than after a three-week one. When fruit was delayed at room temperature prior to cold storage, woolliness generally developed earlier and to a lesser extent during ripening. At all ripening temperatures initial storage at 3°C resulted in most woolliness extending over the longest period. In addition, browning of the meso- carp tissue occurred only in fruit cold stored at 3°C.-The delay ...